2016 on The SCG Tour ® has already been a historic one and we’re less than two months into it! With record-setting attendance at #SCGCIN (1,022 players!), great turnouts at #SCGCHA, #SCGATL, and #SCGCOL, and players coming together to form teams to achieve a common goal in qualifying for The Players’ Championship, we could not be happier with how 2016 has begun.
But just because we’re happy with how things have gone thus far in 2016 doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. Though I have a reduced commentary schedule this year, I’ve still managed to be at every SCG Tour® event in 2016. One of the reasons is that I enjoy losing at playing Magic, but the main one is because I’m always in search of feedback on how we can make The SCG Tour® better. And with the feedback that I’ve been given by so many of you both in person and on social media, it brings me great joy to announce the following updates to The SCG Tour®, effective immediately just in time for #SCGLOU.
Additional Benefits for Winning The Players’ Championship
The Players’ Championship is the hallmark tournament of The SCG Tour®. It’s something we’ve seen players travel all over the country to try and qualify for in the past, and this year is no different with some players even forming teams with the stated goal of qualifying for the #SCGPC. Winning $20,000 and an enormous trophy is great, but after reviewing some things, we’ve decided that that simply isn’t enough. Therefore, the winner of The Players’ Championship will also receive:
– Two byes in every StarCityGames.com Open for the following year.
– Free entry into every StarCityGames.com Open and StarCityGames.com Classic for the following year.
So what does mean for the 2015 Players’ Champion and New York Rangers superfan Jim Davis? That means that he gets these benefits for #SCGLOU and all events for the rest of 2016. Surprise, Jim! Play yourself a celebratory tune during your next DJ session!
Additional Benefits for Winning a StarCityGames.com Invitational
Winning an Invitational is something many on The SCG Tour® strive to achieve. Whether it be the $10,000, having your likeness on a card, the invite to the #SCGPC, the invite and travel costs taken care of for the adjoining Pro Tour, or the awesome trophy, everyone has their reason for competing in a #SCGINVI. And now you’ve been given two more:
– One bye in every StarCityGames.com Open for the following Season.
– Free entry into every StarCityGames.com Open and StarCityGames.com Classic for the following Season.
So what does this mean for the Las Vegas Invitational champion and Storm aficionado Caleb Scherer? That means that he gets these benefits for #SCGLOU and all events during the rest of Season One of 2016. Surprise, Caleb! Hopefully you’ve got some peanuts left to celebrate!
Additional Benefits for Winning a StarCityGames.com Seasonal Point Race
Winning a Seasonal Point Race on The SCG Tour® is one of the hardest things to do in all of Magic. More than anything, being a Seasonal Point Champion demonstrates a level of consistency that few can rival. Currently that level of consistency is rewarded with an invite to the #SCGPC, but now it also brings:
– One bye in every StarCityGames.com Open for the following Season.
– Free entry into every StarCityGames.com Open and StarCityGames.com Classic for the following Season.
So what does this mean for the Las Vegas Seasonal Point Champion and Miracle Mastermind Joe Lossett? That means that he gets these benefits for #SCGLOU and all events during the rest of Season One of 2016. Surprise, Joe! Now get back to spinning that Sensei’s Divining Top in a timely fashion!
Updates to the Prize Structure for StarCityGames.com Classics
The current prize structure for a StarCityGames.com Classic rewards all Top 8 competitors with the same prizes. What we have found through four SCG Tour® weekends is that when the number of prize wall tickets is the same for all of our Top 8 competitors, the matches in question don’t have very much on the line. And more than anything, you’ve told us that you want to have something at stake during the elimination rounds of a tournament. So with these updates, we believe we’ve accomplished just that.
| Finish | Previous Payout | New Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1,800 tix | 3,600 tix |
| 2nd | 1,800 tix | 2,400 tix |
| Top 4 | 1,800 tix | 1,800 tix |
| Top 8 | 1,800 tix | 1,200 tix |
| Top 16 | 600 tix | 600 tix |
| Top 32 | 300 tix | 300 tix |
| Participation | — | — |
Thank You
More than anything, I want to make it known that none of these updates would have taken place without your feedback. So if you have constructive feedback about The SCG Tour®, let me know! I’ll be at most SCG Tour® weekends this year, so if you see me, feel free to stop me and have a chat. If I’m not there? Emailing me is the best route to go at [email protected].
Thanks for all your support of both StarCityGames.com and The SCG Tour®. This weekend, I’ll be at #SCGLOU trying to overcome the Eldrazi just like everyone else, so if you see me there, be sure to say hi before my Reality gets Smashed!